Reviewing the Laird's Apple Brandy Barrel Aged Grande Negro Voodoo Papi in from the Voodoo Brewing Company out of Meadville, Pennsylvania. This beer is Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brewed with vanilla beans and cinnamon, aged in Laird’s Apple Brandy barrels.

Score: 98

Bottle #212, dated 09/24/13. Served in a 50/50 Eclipse mini snifter and enjoyed on 12/20/2013

Appearance: Coffee color, with soda syrup highlights outlining the glass. Pours a thin layer of cedar colored tan head that quickly settles to a pencil thin ring around the glass. 3.5/5

Smell: Maple, vanilla and smooth apple brandy notes with a lovely cinnamon backbone. A little nutmeg too. Faint notes of chili peppers and a kiss of leather. Rich and robust. Has a nice mix of spices, though the spiciness is muted. 4.75/5

Taste: Big notes of chocolate/milk chocolate, with a very mild and crisp spicy pepper prickliness that dances, but does not linger, on the sides of the tongue. This spicy liveliness intensifies a bit if you let the brew sit on the palate for a bit. Cinnamon and nutmeg throughout, shining mostly in the finish. Not a whole ton of barrel character to the taste, very muted in this regard. Light maple and vanilla notes too. This beer is mostly about the chocolate and the crisp spiciness, but the other subtle complexities complement nicely. 4.75/5

Overall: This is a really excellent beer that I felt was superior to California Brandy Hunahpu’s. There is a nice mix of spices and spiciness complementing a very-chocolate forward flavor profile that is quite balanced. I highly recommend this delectably crushable brew.

This is an utterly insane and awesome beer in every way. The pepper heat is still noticeable, and hits you strong up front, tingling your lips for the duration of the drinking session. There's some bitter chocolate and vanilla bean in the middle, and a very sweet blast of maple syrup and molasses near the end. The beer is not too sweet, however, it's only at the end that you get the wonderful maple character. The apple brandy character is definitely there, but integrated well into the beer. It's not overwhelming, it's subtle. There is absolutely no boozy presence here, which is quite amazing. The year or so since it's been released has probably toned that aspect down.

This is fairly thick bodied, and syrupy, with a bit of an oily mouthfeel. There's a very low level of carbonation. The pepper flavor is the only thing that lingers sip after sip, and it's honestly quite pleasant.

This is definitely one of the best barrel aged stouts I've ever had. It approaches Apple Brandy Mexican Cake territory- it's damn close and I can't honestly decide which one I like better.